SWITCHING to proportional representation from the current first past the post system and making voting easier have been put forward by Stockport MPs as ways of combating voter apathy.

SWITCHING to proportional representation from the current first past the post system and making voting easier have been put forward by Stockport MPs as ways of combating voter apathy.

Turn out in all four Stockport seats at Thursday's General Election fell dramatically compared with 1997.

In Stockport it dropped from 71 per cent four years ago to little more than 53 per cent this time. In safe Labour seat Denton and Reddish it was even lower at 48 per cent, in Hazel Grove it was 59 per cent - and even in Cheadle, now one of the most marginal seats in the country, it was only 63 per cent.

Patsy Calton, the Liberal Democrat who won in Cheadle from Conservative Stephen Day by just 33 votes, said turn out there was hit by it being the second week of the primary school holidays, with many local families away.

She is strongly in favour of her party's policy of proportional representation, so parties would gain House of Commons seats in proportion to their number of votes.

"This would make every vote count and overcome the trend for people in seats with big majorities to feel there is no point in voting," she said. She was supported by her party colleague, Hazel Grove MP Andrew Stunell, who said PR would stop votes piling up in seats with big majorities. He believes the election being a foregone conclusion was the main reason so few people voted.

"But it is absolutely important for the parties to interest under-35s in politics, as many opted out this time," Mr Stunell added.

Stockport Labour MP Ann Coffey believes many people didn't vote because "there was no motivation to vote as people aren't angry with us. Many people vote AGAINST something, such as the poll tax which produced a high turn-out in the 1990 local elections".

She is concerned about the low turn out by young voters and hopes planned school citizenship lessons will reverse this.

Andrew Bennett, Labour MP for Denton and Reddish, is concerned about the low turn out which could be for many complex reasons. He applauds the extension of postal votes and would like to see other measures to make voting easier, such as having polling stations in shops.

See this week's Stockport Express for a full General Election round-up.